Japan Rare Archive — Japanese antiques and works of art, selected and shipped from Kyoto.
Condition Description
Vintage Japanese Bugle - Brass and Copper - Showa Period (Pre-1945)
A vintage Japanese bugle made of brass and copper, with a warm, untouched aged patina.
The bugle has the classic folded form with a wide flared bell. It retains its original mouthpiece together with the wing-nut clamp used for tuning, a part that is often missing on bugles of this type. All four suspension rings for attaching a carrying cord are present. The bell shows a hand-seamed construction and a decorative garland band.
The bell is stamped with the Japanese characters 規格 ("kikaku", meaning "standard specification"), written from right to left, together with a further stamped character. Right-to-left horizontal writing was common in Japan before 1945, which points to a pre-war or wartime date for this instrument. Bugles of this type were widely used for signalling in Japan in the first half of the 20th century.
The surface has a deep brown patina that has never been polished, giving the piece strong character as a display object or a collector's instrument.
Condition
Good vintage condition with traces of age and use. Scratches, small dents and areas of discoloration consistent with age, some solder traces at the joints, and minor verdigris inside the bell. Not tested for playing. Please see the photos for details.
Details
Material: Brass and copper
Marking: Stamped 規格 on the bell
Period: Showa period, likely before 1945
Height: 30.5 cm (12.0 in)
Width: 16 cm (6.3 in)
Bell diameter: 11.7 cm (4.6 in)
Shipping & Import Duties
- For US Buyers: We cover all import duties and taxes. The price you see is the final price. No additional costs upon delivery.
- For EU Buyers: For items priced at ?150 or less, import duties and taxes are prepaid by us (DDP). No additional costs upon delivery. For items priced above ?150, import duties and taxes are the buyer's responsibility.
- For Buyers in Other Countries: Import duties and taxes are NOT included in the item price. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your local customs office for estimated costs before purchasing.
Shipping
Ships carefully packed from Kyoto, Japan via EMS (Japan Post), Air Small Packet (Japan Post), FedEx, DHL, or eBay SpeedPAK. Each item is individually wrapped and cushioned for safe international delivery.